Warhammer: I don't want to become a stinky can!

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[He is our father, the god of mankind—you need to revere Him. I hope you take back what you just said, Mortarian.]

Upon hearing Luo Jia's words, Fugen, who was further away, muttered angrily, "So nobody cares about Horus?!" before being interrupted by an angel who offered him a glass of wine.

Why should I revere him?

"Motalian said casually,"

[Just because he's our father, he just left us, as babies, lying around everywhere?]

The Khan took another sip of wine, and the angel silently looked away.

Luo Jia took a deep breath. Motarian thought that if Luo Jia truly believed the Emperor's words, then he was either too weak or too fond of lecturing. Otherwise, how could Luo Jia have restrained himself from rushing up and throwing a punch?

Your vision is too short-sighted. He is the God of all mankind, not just as you perceive it. Every action He takes has a far more profound impact.

Mortarian took a sip of his drink, his fluent and sarcastic reply mocking.

[A deeper meaning? Then why did he throw me onto a dead planet filled with poisonous gas? Did he want to see his offspring suffer? Or did he really believe that Barbarossa had—]

Motarian suddenly fell silent.

He was suddenly horrified to realize that when the Emperor first landed on Barbaros, he only met two people: himself and Hades.

This terrifying thought instantly extinguished all of Mortalian's anger, sarcasm, and pleasure; he floated weightlessly in this horrible idea.

So... Hades was being watched by the Emperor from the very beginning? He was just too caught up in his anger to realize it at the time.

Mortarian began to delve into his memories and realized that long before Hades became a Space Marine, the Emperor had already contacted Hades and told him information that even Mortarian was unaware of.

So, before Hades became the commander of the Death Guard, he had already...

Mortarian dared not think any further. For the first time, he so desperately hoped that the Emperor was a fraud, rather than some omniscient and omnipotent being.

Luo Jia stared in astonishment as Motarian slumped down like withered grass; he hadn't even begun to offer any formal words of comfort.

"You realize your wrongdoing towards Him, brother?"

【No,】

Motarian said sullenly,

Tell me about what you saw in him—and his "extension of consciousness."

He heard the sound of angels or Fugen tasting wine behind him.

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That's it! Great!

Chapter 360 Mortarian I, Part 5!

【…】

Mortarian took a deep breath, first clearing the most common image from his mind—

A rustling sound arose, and he opened the office door, seeing a figure fighting with the servant who brought him food in the dimly lit corridor.

Mortarian knocked on the door expressionlessly, the dull echo reverberating through the corridor.

Hades, still holding his rice spoon, suddenly turned around, gave him a crooked smile, then swaggered over and gave the servant one last slap before rushing back to his office with the two lunches in his hand.

Since some inhuman being ate Mortalian's lunch, Mortalian took back the two portions that Garo and Vox had eaten.

Then he threw Hades, who was standing in the office and loudly proclaiming his holiday uprising, out, along with Hades who was howling and saying that the foundry department had no money and needed funding.

There's Hades gnawing on a metal block while berating Macado, Hades performing some kind of Hades dance in front of Gara who's working overtime, which he calls a "victory summary of the workday," and Hades clinging tightly to the medical ward bed, refusing to let go, unwilling to go back to work.

Finally, Mortarian remembered the being who stood before countless psionic beings, single-handedly creating the heavens and earth.

He silently superimposed this image onto Luo Jia's words, and the two figures began to overlap...

He should have thought of these things earlier, instead of only thinking about not letting Hades steal his lunch when he recalled Hades.

Mortarian sullenly picked up his glass and took a swig, but then angrily smashed the glass down. He put down the glass, pulled a flat tin bottle from the many glass bottles and jars at his waist, opened it, and took a sip.

It was him.

Motalian said,

[The mysterious figure you mentioned, I think, is the commander of the Death Guard—perhaps he should now be called the Lord of the Order of Silence.]

The angel in the distance quietly took a sip of wine, while the Khan silently gazed at the army below the platform.

[Playing tricks?]

Luo Jia turned his head, staring intently at Motarian, whose violet eyes were fixed on him.

[Excuse my bluntness, Mortarian, but you seem to be allergic to any rituals or pursuits with spiritual value.]

He glanced discreetly at the dirty flask in Mortalian's hand, where oil used to lubricate firearms clung to it, along with some unidentified black clumps, resembling some kind of medicinal residue.

Luo Jia softened his tone and spoke before Mortalian could utter a sarcastic remark.

But I have no intention of arguing with you about this, brother. How did you determine that the person I'm referring to is someone you know?

He watched Mortarian tap his flask in silence for a long time before finally speaking.

Only he could create this feeling on such a large scale.

Motalian took another sip; he hit the nail on the head.

[Feeling powerless, disoriented, panicked, nauseous, and you instinctively want to get away from him—it's a natural instinct to escape his territory before you completely lose control of your limbs.]

Mortarian gave a mocking smile, his parched lips emitting a venomous aura, and said lightly,

I know this all too well.

Luo Jia was silent for a moment.

However, you cannot be certain that other beings possess this power; it may or may not.

Mortarian coughed and then burst into laughter.

Yes, other soulless beings might possess similar power, but—I mean, how many beings can exert such pressure on the Primarch?

That feeling of helplessness as if you're about to die.

Yes, why didn't Mortarion realize this sooner? Which legion has someone who can go toe-to-toe with the Primarch? Even White Scar or the Wild Wolves' think tank wouldn't be able to suppress the Primarch using psionic powers, would they?

Conversely, the Deathguard contains Hades, who can suppress at least two Primarchs with anti-psychic energy.

He took all of this for granted. Which step was overlooked?

Did it begin when Hades told him about the warp, or did it begin when Hades started gradually building the Zero Company?

To use an imperfect analogy, it's like suddenly discovering that your carefree bunkmate is actually the top manager of a special agency in some country. Even though he usually shows a side that's more than ordinary, the way he asks you to bring him food and call him "Daddy" every day is so cheeky and natural that you can't connect the two at all.

Mortalian suddenly realized that the Hades he knew was actually very divided—his character… no, his virtue, did not match his abilities.

Hades is both reliable and unreliable.

But Mortarion trusted Hades not because of Hades' reliability, but simply because they had fought together in Barbarossa, and Hades had already proven himself worthy of trust.

Mortarian was deceived by the past.

He realized that it wasn't Barbaros's experience that shaped his trust in Hades, but rather that Hades himself inspired trust in others.

Mortarian's thoughts churned in confusion.

Therefore, Hades's experience on Barbaros was actually a process of building trust in him.

Mortarian recalled Guilliman's high regard for Hades, and then... he looked at Luo Jia before him.

He thought of that damned Macardo and the Emperor.

According to Luo Jia, his offspring did not see the white helmet of the Death Guard, but instead saw a black helmet as dark as night.

Mortarian stared blankly into space. He took another big gulp from his cup, his own flask already more than half empty.

Without realizing it, Mortarian pulled another glass bottle from his waist and poured the viscous fermenting liquid into the flask. He then poured the red wine from his glass, which he had just found too bland, into the bottle to dilute the fermenting liquid.

He didn't realize that Fugen behind him was about to scream like an alarm, while the angel smiled gracefully and pressed Fugen down firmly with one hand to urge him to calm down.

Compared to Fugen's screams, Saint Gilles still believed that Luo Jia's conversation with Mortalian was more valuable.

Mortarian took another swig, this time the liquor was even spicier.

He thought sullenly, "Anyway, Hades is a Barbarus, and can only be a Barbarus. He's neither a Terran nor a Macurag."

Mortarian suddenly wondered if he should be thankful that Hades was wearing a black helmet instead of a blue one.

At least... it wasn't a golden helmet.

Motalian remained silent, recalling the blue and white letter that had always hung in his office. Hadn't he already figured it out?

Yes, he had already figured it out a long time ago.

Mortarian silently shook his flask as he gazed at the grand army conducting a military parade in the distance.

[...It's him, it's definitely him.]

"Alcohol and poison are eroding my sanity," Mortarian said softly.

But he is definitely not the being you claim to be, Luojia. Why are you so fixated on distorting the essence of things?

Even if Hades puts on a respectable act in front of other legions, Mortalian is the one who truly knows what kind of person Hades is!

Yes, code

Chapter 361 Let's look at the war commander in the distance.

Only the angels and the Khan were the calmest spectators after that farce, but the calm on the surface did not mean the calm inside. The argument between Mortarian and Luo Jia revealed too much—but the two parties involved were completely unaware of this.

Saint Gilles blinked, concealing the turmoil within.

The archangel stood, raising his cup, the crystalline liquid flowing within. His eyes, shining brighter than diamonds and purer than gold, peered through the liquid, so that your soul might tremble under the gaze of his innocent child.

Horus, I am overjoyed that you are worthy of this crown.

Horus sat to the side, his lips slightly weary. He smiled faintly and waved his hand. After a crisp clinking of glasses, the two drank the rich wine in one gulp.

In the luxurious room prepared just for Zhan Shuai, the two close friends had overcome the awkwardness of their initial tentative exchange and began to speak freely.

Saint Gilles once again jokingly congratulated Horus. The archangel described in detail the heartfelt blessings his brothers bestowed upon him. Upon hearing the news of Horus's promotion to warlord, Fugen cheered joyfully, and the ascetic Loka revealed a long-lost smile. Dorn expressed his highest respect and blessings to Horus.

And Saint Gilles himself was genuinely happy for Horus... The warmaster could only be Horus, and the angels could hardly imagine Horus facing a future where he was not the warmaster.

Horus smiled as he answered the angels’ questions one after another, and Saint Gilles was far more enthusiastic than usual—were they using the excitement to cover something up?

Horus seemed lost in thought, his hand unconsciously stroking the sapphire necklace he had just been given, the gemstone cut in the shape of the Eye of Terra, symbolizing the power and glory he had gained.

My father gave me this.

Horus spoke abruptly, but he wasn't referring to the necklace. The warlord carefully pulled a small box from the side compartment of the dagger at his waist.

He opened it, and the angel saw an old gold ring.

*【This ring was made a year before he was born.】

He said I was his centaur, and wherever I roamed, his legions would be by my side.

The angel smiled gently, his eyes shining brightly.

I'm getting jealous of you, Horus.

But unusually, Horus did not respond to the angel's words. He held the small box and remained silent for a moment.

The silver-tongued Wolf God stammered.

[He—I mean, I could foresee this gift—we are his offspring, his generals. He bestowed power upon us and entrusted me with his trust; he gave me the sharpest sword without reservation.]

The angel tilted its head and listened patiently.

But... that's not all.

Horus carefully placed the ring box back, then reached out and pulled out another ring box from the other side.

The angel raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

Did he give you two rings?

Horus nodded slowly, and at that moment the angel saw a rare hesitation and doubt in Horus's eyes—he was confused.

He opened another box.